Sculpture and Social Dynamics in Preclassic Mesoamerica

Description

This book examines the functions of sculpture during the Preclassic period in Mesoamerica and its significance in statements of social identity. Julia Guernsey situates the origins and evolution of monumental stone sculpture within a broader social and political context and demonstrates the role that such sculpture played in creating and institutionalizing social hierarchies. This book focuses specifically on an enigmatic type of public, monumental sculpture known as the 'potbelly' that traces its antecedents to earlier, small domestic ritual objects and ceramic figurines. The cessation of domestic rituals involving ceramic figurines along the Pacific slope coincided not only with the creation of the first monumental potbelly sculptures, but with the rise of the first state-level societies in Mesoamerica by the advent of the Late Preclassic period. The potbellies became central to the physical representation of new forms of social identity and expressions of political authority during this time of dramatic change. Cover Sculpture and Social Dynamics in Preclassic Mesoamerica Dedication Title Copyright Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments 1: Introduction Mesoamerican sculpture The potbelly sculptural form Methodological issues and challenges Sculpture and social processes Organization of the book Conclusions 2: Potbellies and Sculpture: A Brief History of Preclassic Scholarship Introduction The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries The 1940s The 1950s The 1960s The 1970s The 1980s to the present Conclusions 3: Situating Sculpture on the Preclassic Pacific Slope of Mesoamerica Introduction Geography and the linguistic evidence The Early Preclassic period The Middle Preclassic period Middle Preclassic La Blanca The Late Preclassic period Conclusions 4: The Dating and Distribution of Potbellies and Potbelly-Related Sculpture Introduction Dating the potbelly sculptures The distribution of potbellies Guatemala: Escuintla Guatemala: Jutiapa Guatemala: Retalhuleu Guatemala: Guatemala Guatemala: San Marcos Guatemala: Sacatepéquez Guatemala: Sololá Guatemala: Quiché Guatemala: Suchitepéquez Guatemala: Petén Guatemala: Unprovenienced El Salvador Honduras Mexico: Tlaxcala Mexico: Chiapas Mexico: Veracruz Mexico: Guerrero Conclusions 5: Blurring the Lines: Public Space, Private Space, Sculpture, and Figurines Introduction Middle Preclassic figurines and issues of context and use La Blanca and the puffy-faced figurine tradition Puffy-faced figurines beyond La Blanca Figurine use: Temporal patterns and implications on the Pacific slope Transformations in scale Sculpture and public versus private space at La Blanca Beyond the Pacific slope Back to the Pacific slope Conclusions 6: Big Bellies and Fat Gods Introduction Corpulence and social status in the Preclassic Hybrid corpulence The “Fat God” Patterns of interaction between Teotihuacan, the Pacific slope, and southeastern Mesoamerica The “Fat God”: Continuity or disjunction? Conclusions 7: Potbellies, Ancestors, and Performance Introduction Puffy features, death, and breath From breath to sound Giving sculptural form – and voice – to ancestors From puffy cheeks and sound to performance Potbellies and domestic ritual Potbellies, ancestors, and the archaeological evidence Conclusions 8: Potbellies and Social Identity in the Preclassic Introduction From domestic sector to public realm Ancestors, mortuary patterns, and social dynamics Portraying ancestors Potbellies, lineages, and social identity Potbellies, alliances, and boundaries Potbellies, space, and “master narratives” Gender, identity, ancestors, and memory From private to public in Mesoamerica and beyond Conclusions Notes 1: INTRODUCTION 2: POTBELLIES AND SCULPTURE: A BRIEF HISTORY OF PRECLASSIC SCHOLARSHIP 3: SITUATING SCULPTURE ON THE PRECLASSIC PACIFIC SLOPE OF MESOAMERICA 4: THE DATING AND DISTRIBUTION OF POTBELLIES AND POTBELLY-RELATED SCULPTURE 5: BLURRING THE LINES: PUBLIC SPACE, PRIVATE SPACE, SCULPTURE, AND FIGURINES 6: BIG BELLIES AND FAT GODS 7: POTBELLIES, ANCESTORS, AND PERFORMANCE 8: POTBELLIES AND SOCIAL IDENTITY IN THE PRECLASSIC References Index